Better Off As Lovers
by savannahlovespitbulls
Summary: Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps are best friends,but when their relationship takes an interesting turn, they must be prepared to face the consequences - both public and internal.
1. The Set Up

**Better Off As Lovers**

 **Chapter One: Set-up**

 _ **Judy's parents set her up with another bunny, and she has to quickly find a way to get out of the situation without appearing insincere. Awkward conversations about feelings in the dead of night ensue.**_

 _ **(Feat. Nick's antics.)**_

Judy Hopps stormed down the hallway of her parent's old burrow in the way only a bunny can; feet slapping against the floor in an angry manner, small muzzle scrunched up, and ears flat against her head.

On any given day, Judy fancied herself to be a rather amicable animal; making friends and being cheery came easy to her. Today, however, she was not in a friendly mood. She had been so delighted to come and see her mom and dad for the first time in months – she hadn't seen them since the year before when she had left her small hometown and burrow; but it was he parent's anniversary soon, and she was more than happy to come down and visit.

Her happy mood had changed as soon as she'd entered the familiar kitchen. Sitting beside her father was a young rabbit. A young, _male_ rabbit, to be exact. He had dark gray fur, and blue eyes that seemed friendly enough – so Judy was willing to humour her parents, if only for one night. ( _" No, mom, I'm not interested in finding a boyfriend right now." Judy had grumbled into her phone more times than she could count._ )

Once outside, Judy made sure to slam the front door to convey to her parents how _sick_ she was of them butting into her life. She frantically ran through field after field of carrots until she was panting, and so tired she could barely stand up. Sighing, she flopped down onto the cold, dew-covered grass. _What am I gonna do?_

Judy pulled out her phone, and called the only friend she had. A small image of her smiling next to a smug fox in uniform appeared on the screen for a brief moment before someone picked up.

 _"Hey, Carrots! How's your little vay-cay going?"_ The poor cell-service in BunnyBurrow made the call sound fuzzy, but the familiar voice still managed to sound smooth.

"Hey, Nick." Judy began hesitantly. "It's actually not going so well. My parents tried to set me up with this rabbit, a-and he's okay looking, I guess, but _god_ , Nick! – He was so boring! I wanted to shoot myself in the head! And then – my dad had the audacity to suggest that we were going to start a warren, and I just – _uuurrgh._ " Judy's small paws tugged at her ears before she continued, "Why do bunnies still insist on trying to arrange marriages?!"

The other end of the line was silent for a moment, then, " _Aw, Judes, that sounds like it sucks -big time. I didn't even know rabbits still did that – arrange marriages? - What is this, the Dark Ages?_ " Judy smiled at his sympathy, knowing that it was real – he only ever used her first name when he was being totally and utterly serious. " _If you want, I can get over there as soon as I can - tell your folks something's come up back at the station. Your house isn't too far away, right?"_

"No, but… my mom and dad don't know my partner is a fox. They've started to come around – heck, they work with Gideon Gray – but they might still be wary. Especially since their oldest daughter is _working_ with one."

 _"Who says I have to tell them we're partners?"_ She could practically hear Nick's smirk. _"I'll just tell them you're needed down at ZPD, and that I'm the only one working the night shift. I'll just be a fox who works in the same building. No harm in that, right? It'll be like stealing candy from a baby; which is actually very easy – I've done it before."_

"Alright…" She said, giving in. "Just don't scare them too much. Get here as soon as you can, and I guess I'll head back inside."

 _"You got it, Judester. See you soon."_ *click*

 **()**

 ***** _ **knock knock***_

Judy's mother's head darted up, eyes alert; looking very much like the timid prey animal she was. After a moment, she politely excused herself to go answer it. Judy hunkered down, prepared for the inevitable.

A small, muffled shriek sounded from the doorway, and Judy's dad looked up now, too. "Honey? Everything alright?"

There was a pregnant pause.

Then, "Ah, yes, sweetie, it's just a nice police officer here for Judy. He says she's needed on the night shift because it was too much work for one mammal." Her voice sounded very obviously strained.

Her mother rushed back in, Nick in tow, looking very much suited for the part of a smug, arrogant, _handsome -…. (er… where did that come from?)_

Judy pretended to be surprised. "Oh, Good evening Officer Wilde." She smiled coyly. "What brings you here?"

Nick's arched eyebrows seemed to arch even higher, if that was possible; and he oozed as much stereotypical fox behaviour into his voice as possible. "Well, Hopps, I was all alone at the station and, well, I'm falling _terribly_ behind on my work, and was wondering if a _diligent_ officer as yourself could lend a paw; this case is just too much work for one fox."

"Any amount of work is too much for a fox…" Judy could hear her father mutter; but her mom kicked him in the shin, whispering something about respecting an officer, and _'oh, look at those wretched claws!'_

Nick winked at her when her mother's head was ducked; the faux arrogance fading from his eyes, replaced by amusement. Judy offered a grateful smile in return.

"You'd better go get your things, dearie." Her mom said, nudging her in the side. "Wouldn't want to upset your co-worker." Her voice dropped an octave, and she cast a nervous glance at the fox.

Judy was more than happy to oblige.

On their way out the door, she high-fived Nick.

"Thanks."

"No worries, Carrots."

::

Nick's foot slammed down on the gas pedal furiously, but the car refused to budge. The fox hit his head on the dashboard in frustration; and he tried to start the car again, but to no avail.

"I can't believe you let your car run out of gas." Judy huffed. "Who lets their car run out of gas?!"

"I don't normally!" Nick protested, hands gesturing wildly. "This thing is so old and beat up that all of my gauges are broken. I have to track how many miles I've gone manually." The fox rubbed his neck self-consciously. "I guess I forgot to check since I was in a hurry." He mumbled.

Judy's voice softened. "It's okay. Something like that is easy to forget."

Her partner offered her a weak smile in return. "If it's any consolation, I have…. Blankets… in my trunk. And flashlights. And food."

Judy raised an eyebrow. "Really? Since when? You don't seem like the kind of guy to prepare for scenarios like this."

Nick shrugged, embarrassed. "Once I started taking classes at the Academy…." He coughed, uncharacteristically bashful. "I'll go get the blankets and some food I guess…"

He returned a moment later, items in hand. He gave one of the blankets to Judy, but it proved to be too large, so he folded his seats back and laid out one of the blankets in the back. "Here, we can share for now."

Judy raised an eyebrow skeptically, but said nothing, and climbed into the back seat beside her friend.

He offered her a square of chocolate, which she accepted. Shaking her head, she said, "What would my parents think? Me, sitting next to a fox in the middle of the night, sharing food?"

"Who cares what they think!" Nick scoffed, popping open a bottle of water. "All that matters is what _you_ think."

Judy thought for a moment. "I think that this chocolate is good." Nick rolled his eyes, so she continued, "I think that you're my best friend; and I'm glad you drove all the way out here just to pick me up."

Nick smiled. "Like I said, Judes, no problem. S'not like I was busy anyway."

Judy's eyes narrowed – _why the 'Judes'? Why not 'Carrots'? -_ staring intently at the gauges and meters in the dashboard. "I also think you're up to something; because your car has _plenty_ of gas in it." She wrinkled the worn blanket in her fists.

The fox's eyes widened, and his face fell guiltily. "Heh… you caught on, I guess."

Her foot tapped impatiently, and she glare disapprovingly at her friend. "Y'think? What's going on here, Nick?"

"I just wanted to have some time to talk to you, friend to friend. I feel like we don't do that often anymore." He mumbled.

"What do you mean? We see each other every day at work! You pal around with me all the time." Judy snorted, and turned her head. "Next excuse."

Nick remained silent for a few moments. " I – Judes…. You're an amazing, inspirational animal. I look up to you; everything I have now is all thanks to you. Instead of living on the streets scamming people, I have a _job_ , and a friend – a damn good one."

Judy lifted her head and met his eyes. "What's your point?"

()

 _The sun shone brightly on two friends - One a slick fox, and the other a demure bunny - standing together taking photos. Both were wearing blue uniforms. Around them, there was a dispersing crowd; and a stage crew was disassembling the stage set up behind them._

 _"Hey, Judes." Nick said seriously, after the umpteenth photo was taken. "I can't thank you enough for helping me get this far." His green eyes had lost their usual droopy, cynical look; replaced by genuine emotion._

 _Judy smiled warmly. "That's what friends are for, right?" Her nose was buried in her phone; setting her background to a photo of them smiling from ear to ear. Nick's stomach fluttered alarmingly, and he shoved it away in shame._

 _"Yeah. I guess that is what being friends is about." He mused, lost in thought. "I'll always be here for you if you need me, y'know that right?"_

 _Judy finally glanced up from the phone, something Nick couldn't quite place shining behind her eyes. "I know." In his pocket, Nick's phone beeped. "C'mon, check it! Check it!" She grinned, nudging his arm._

 _Nick pulled out his phone and checked the text._

 ** _From: Judes_**

 ** _I'm so proud of you Nicholas! (teehee. I used your real name.)_**

 ** _Love you!_**

 _The text was soon followed by dozens of heart emoji's, and though he smiled, Nick couldn't help but feel sad. He really wished he could add an 'I' in front of that 'love you'..._

()

"I love you." He whispered. "I know it seems dumb – a fox and a rabbit, but –"

"I think I do, too." Judy cut in. "Back on our first mission, I thought you were a jerk."

"Hey!"

"A cute jerk, though." She added. "You always have this dumb smug face; and you're so cocky – I hate it… but not really." She said, smiling shyly.

"You have a cute butt." Nick said, grinning evilly; which earned him a paw to the face. "I meant that as a compliment, you loser!" He protested.

Judy's smile faltered after a moment; leaving the duo staring down truths neither of them were prepared to handle. "What do we do now?" She asked uncertainly.

"Isn't it obvious? We go out on dates. Movie theaters and fancy dinners. That's what couples do, right?"

Judy recoiled at the word ' _couple_ '. "I – we – can't." She stuttered. "We're natural enemies! Interspecies relationships are practically unheard of! Even if we weren't publicly humiliated, we'd get fired! Relationships in the workplace aren't –" A padded finger blocked any more words that might have tumbled out of her lips.

"Carrots, if there's one thing you've taught me, it's that in Zootopia, we can be anything. You – a small bunny – are by far the best cop ZPD has. You reunited a city. You taught me that we can be much more than what we're labeled as."

His finger fell away from her mouth, and she sat there, gaping like a fish for a few moments. "….So, what do we do?"

Nick sighed. "We have about two options here, Whiskers." He began slowly. "We can both climb back into the front seat and pretend this never happened. We can ignore whatever this is, and return to work Monday and never speak of this to anyone."

Judy waited for him to continue, and when he hesitated for just a moment too long, she pressed him. "… or?"

"Or we could just say 'screw it', and do this thing for real." Nick breathed, not daring to speak too loud, in case others heard the scandalous words.

"We could get fired –"

" I know."

"We'd have to tell Chief Bogo –"

"Yeah."

"People might hate us –"

"That is a possibility." Nick nodded. "But this is up to you. I already told you how I feel; how do you feel?"

Judy blinked; processing their entire conversation that night. How did she feel? She'd done unimaginable things before, but this? _This_ was just insane.

 _("Whenever an interviewer asks you a question, ask your own question and answer that one.")_

"How do I feel?" Judy asked herself, voice barely a whisper. "Crazy…" she murmured, and then leaned forward.

 **A/N:**

 **How did I do? This isn't my first time writing fanfics – or writing in general; but it is my first time writing these characters.**

 **May or may not continue this…..**

 **Anyone catch the reference(s)? Heehee.**

 **Edit - Mar. 8. 2016 : Added an extra scene to make Nick's confession seem a little more realistic and dramatic. Enjoy!**


	2. Don't You (Forget About Me)

**Better Off As Lovers**

 **Chapter Two: Don't You (Forget About Me)**

 **(Here is chapter two, as requested by popular demand! I** _ **really**_ **was not expecting such a positive reaction in such a short amount of time! Thanks to you fellow dorks, this story got nearly** _ **900 views**_ **in less than 20 hours! I had some time tonight to throw a new chapter together. I'll keep posting as long as you guys keep asking!** **)**

 **Two weeks after their chat in the car, our duo has some fun on the job, and run into some difficulties in covering up the brewing scandal.**

 **::**

Judy yawned loudly as she opened the doors to the police station, and sipped at her coffee tiredly. Nick slid under her arm as she held the door open, ( _Ever_ the gentleman. (Although he did buy her coffee.)) his own cup perched precariously on his arm.

Clawhauser didn't seem to be at the receptionist desk; not even a wiggling tail was visible. Maybe he'd gone out for breakfast? Beside her, Nick's tense shoulder sagged in relief, and he tentatively reached out his left paw, hooking his pinky around Judy's small hand.

"We have meter duty this week, right?" Nick asked casually, seemingly ignoring their linked hands.

"Yeah, it's our turn this week; why?" Judy replied in a pleasant tone.

Nick shrugged, flipping his cheesy 80s style sunglasses onto his forehead. "It's just pretty easy, that's all. We don't have to worry about putting in overtime, and chasing down criminals."

Judy hummed in agreement.

"Good morning!" Clawhauser's sing-song voice chirped behind them. "What's got you two here so early?"

Nick's paw quickly slid out of hers, faster than lighting. "Hey, bud. We're here a little early because there's this great coffee shop down the block; but the line gets long really quick."

Clawhauser glanced down at Nick's hand, expression bewildered. "Did you guys come into work together today?"

This time it was Judy's turn to come up with an excuse. "Oh, yeah. I had to carpool with Nick today. The bus on my street broke down and was going to be running late; we just got coffee on the way."

Their co-worker's face brightened. "Aw, I hope your bus is back on schedule tomorrow. It would suck to have to wake up at the crack of dawn to walk into work." He said sympathetically.

Judy smiled, hoping it appeared sincere enough. "Thanks; I'm sure my bus will be fine by the end of the day."

Nick nudged her shoulder. "Hey, Whiskers, I'd love to stand and chat, but Bogo is waiting for us in the meeting room." He gestured to a doorway across the room, where the Chief was waiting rather impatiently.

Judy's ears twitched anxiously. "Oh, right! Gotta go, Clawhauser." She said apologetically, jogging over to the Wildebeest.

"Seeya later, Judy!" He smiled, making his way to his desk.

 **()**

"I'm surprised to see you here on time, Wilde." Bogo said once they were both in the room.

"Actually, Chief," Nick drawled, "I'm here twenty minutes early." He smirked, taking a swig of his expresso lazily.

Bogo's eye twitched, and he sighed, already have resigned to deal with Nick's joking ways long ago. "Yes, well, since you two are already here, you might as well start your shift now."

"Yessir!" Judy barked seriously, saluting her superior, chest puffed out. Nick side-eyed her for a moment, and lazily followed suit, hand raised in a mock salute.

"Since you're starting early, you can end early. I'll give you two a break; take off at 4 today instead of 6:30." Bogo's gruff voiced softened somewhat. "You work too much, Hopps." He joked lightly. Judy beamed, glad to have finally earned her boss's respect after over a year on the force.

"Thank you, Chief!" She called after his retreating figure, and hopped off her chair.

::

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but your car has been parked here for half an hour over the allotted time." Judy watched with interest as her partner forced himself to be polite as he tried to place a parking ticket on a small blue car.

"But – my daughter is sick! I had to visit her, and –" An old sheep pleaded.

"I know, Ma'am, I know." Nick responded with forced empathy. "But this time limit is here for a reason. Other parents, and other children have to visit their sick families and friends."

The older woman considered this for a moment. "Alright. I understand, officer. Have a nice day."

His eyes widened in surprise at her formalities. Usually mammals wouldn't wish you a good day after receiving a parking ticket. "You too, Ma'am." He said, tipping his hat before climbing back into the small police car.

Judy's whiskers twitched. "It's funny watching you try and be polite." She remarked. "I like it when you tip your hat."

Nick rolled his eyes. "Right. Because I'm such a horrible animal." He glanced at the small rabbit. "And I'll keep that in mind, Hopps."

"Maybe not, but you are sarcastic and brash." She pointed out.

Nick thought about this. "I'm not always like that." He protested.

Judy started the engine, smirking. "Damn right. You're never like that with me." She muttered in satisfaction.

The fox spit his drink all over the cruiser's dashboard.

::

 _ **(bonus segment)**_

"Hey, turn on the radio. I'm bored." Nick said, propping his feet up on the dash, shades hiding his eyes.

"We're not supposed to –"

"Judes, c'mon. The next set of meters don't expire for another 45 minutes, and we have to pick up lunch. May as well play some tunes on the way. Doesn't count as break the rules while we're on break." He crooned.

Judy sighed, rubbing her temples. "Fine." She grumbled, tapping the button for the radio.

 _"Thank you for tuning into 80s on 8. Right now we're continuing our list of songs that make us feel nostalgic…"_ The radio host chirped.

Judy brightened. "Oh! I love this station –"

Nick shushed her. "Shh, shh. I love the 80's. Let's hear what comes on next." He said, leaned over in his seat eagerly.

Judy quieted, and listened as the next song started. "I don't –" she began, but Nick nearly squealed like a pup in his delight.

" _I love this song!_ " He whisper-shouted eagerly, gripping the rabbit's shoulders. "C'mon, you gotta sing it with me." He said, pressing his forehead against her, cheeks split in a large smile.

Judy rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance, but joined in the fox's off-key singing soon enough, smiling the entire time.

" _Tell me your troubles and doubts  
Giving me everything inside and out and  
Love's strange; so real in the dark.  
Think of the tender things that we were working on._

 _Slow change may pull us apart,  
When the light gets into your heart, baby._

 _Don't you, forget about me!  
Don't, don't, don't, don't -  
Don't you, forget about me…."_

The duo got strange looks as they drove through the city, windows down, singing at the top of their lungs. But they didn't mind much.

::

Judy checked her outfit one last time in the mirror, making sure she was satisfied with her appearance. While she was fixing her fur, though, her phone vibrated on her desk, signaling a call. She rushed over, phone nearly slipping through her paws in her haste to pick up.

"Hey, Nick! What time is it?" Judy gasped. "I'm not running late, am I?!"

"No, no. I was just calling to tell you we might want to take separate cars to the restaurant tonight. We don't want anyone noticing us together."

Judy relaxed slightly. "Oh. Okay." She tapped her fingers on the desk. " I don't have a car though."

"I know. That's why I'm waiting for you at a bus stop near the restaurant." He spoke smoothly into the phone.

Judy almost fell out of her chair in her rush to get out the door. "You're already waiting for me?" She panicked into her phone, pulling on a black coat over her dress.

"It's no big." He reassured her. "I just got here, like, two minutes ago. I swear."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, alright?" Judy flicked off her light switch, and shut her apartment door. "Seeya in a few, m'kay?"

Nick h'mmed in agreement on the other end.

 **()**

"Wilde, reservation for two?" One of the hostesses called through the crowd of customers.

Nick looked at Judy expectantly, grabbing her hand and gently tugging her behind him through the crowd. "Don't pay attention to the other people." He murmured, breath warm against her ear.

Judy looked up at his face nervously as they were led to a table. "Okay." Her voice sounded small and innocent; naïve. The hostess gave them a funny look as the couple sat down.

"Your server will be out in a moment." She said, a forced smile adorning her face.

"Thank you." Nick said, a little too gratefully, giving the poor teenager the kindest expression he had in his arsenal.

"Y-you're welcome, sir." She stuttered before tottering away.

Judy raised an eyebrow. "What was that for?" She asked, a hint of jealousy in her tone.

Nick picked up his menu and began to peruse in. "I was trying to cover our asses; make sure we don't get kicked out of this place."

Judy's head jerked up sharply, and she cast a quick glance around the room. "Do you really think we will? I mean- interspecies relationships aren't _unheard_ of –"

"Only among the same type of animal. Prey animals mingle with other prey animals; predators mix with predators." Nick said, still looking over the menu. "And even then, it's still taboo. What we have going on is totally unheard of."

Judy's face fell. "What do you think will happen to us?" She asked tentatively.

Nick met her eyes for the first time since arriving at the restaurant. "I don't know." He said honestly.

The conversation shifted to a lighter tone after that; both exchanged witty jokes and silly stories. "I like your get-up." Judy said after a while, gesturing to Nick's suit and tie.

Nick tugged at the hem of his shirt self-consciously. "I, uh, figured I'd better dress up for this, y'know? Fancy dinner and all…"

"Well, I like it." Judy said again. "You look handsome; much better than your normal scruffy self."

Nick's face warmed, but he played it off coolly. "I guess I'll have to dress up more often."

 **()**

 **A/N**

 **So this is slightly shorter than the previous chapter, but I figured this was as good a place as any to end it for tonight. I'll take some more time with the next chapter – I was eager to put this out.**

 **Tune in next time for more shenanigans at work.** **( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)**

 **(Vote in comments: someone gets hurt or flirting at work?)**

 **Savannah**


	3. You Matter To Me (Was It Worth It?)

**Better Off As Lovers**

 **Chapter 3: You Matter To Me (Was it Worth It?)**

 **Nick and Judy face trouble on the horizon when they get caught at work, and turn inward to assess the situation.**

 **::**

The officers quieted as Chief Bogo entered the room, prepared to receive their assignments. The Chief looked more tired than he usually did, but if anyone noticed, they didn't say anything.

Nick rushed in, right behind Bogo, nearly getting himself squished in the process. The fox was consistently late, but the grumpy Wildebeest still glared at him, eyes hard.

"Why are you late, Wilde?" He grumbled as he stepped up to the podium, just as Nick slid into his seat next to Judy.

"Traffic?" He offered sheepishly. Bogo just sighed, and proceeded to call roll before giving out the assignments.

As usual, Nick and Judy were the last pair to receive assignments. "I'd put you on meter duty with Winchester and Novak, but there's something else that needs to be done; parking duty can wait." Bogo began. "Clawhauser is absent today, and that normally wouldn't be a problem, but he's been sick for a few days, and we're behind on our filing."

Judy frowned. Being stuck in a filing room was _not_ what she had in mind for the day. But on the other hand, her friend was sick, and she didn't want to leave him with a mountain of work to make up when he returned. "Alright. We'll head downstairs to do the filing." She said, hopping onto the floor. Nick shot Bogo a dirty look before following, clearly not happy with the assignment.

The chief followed the two officers with his eyes and rubbed his nose. "Those two will be the death of me…"

 **()**

As it turned out, the assignment wasn't nearly as bad as Judy thought. In the basement, no one was around them, so they could talk freely. Nick kept making terrible puns and wiggling his eyebrows childishly.

"Get back to work!" Judy would chastise, rolling her eyes fondly; not really meaning it.

"Hey, look what I found!" Nick said a while later, his voice muffled by the mountain of boxes between them. His head poked out, cheeky grin spread over his face.

Judy leaned over to look at the stack of papers he was holding out. The papers were pictures of Chief Bogo, much younger, just graduating from the police academy.

" _Ahahahaha!"_ Judy fell backwards into a heap of fur. _"How did those get down here?"_ She practically wheezed the words she was laughing so hard.

Nick shrugged. "I don't know. And quite frankly, I don't care." He bit back a snort as he shuffled through the pictures.

Judy sighed, wiping her eyes. "We should probably get back to filing. We're way behind schedule-" The bell above the door rang angrily, cutting off her words, signaling that it was noon. "Wait! What?! It can't be – we- we're supposed to be finished with this by three! And we're not even halfway done!" She panicked, pawing at her ears.

Nick's eyes widened in horror, realizing that maybe he'd done a little _too_ much joking around. He scrambled to his feet. "I'll go grab our lunches; we can work while we eat." He shouted hastily, rushing out the door, paws sliding wildly in his hurry.

Judy quickened her pace, managing to sort half a dozen files before he came back not even five minutes, bag in hand. Nick tossed her a sandwich before plopping down next to her, grabbing a large stack of files.

()

Above the duo, the red bell rang again, signaling two o' clock. Their lunches sat mostly untouched, balanced precariously atop a large stack of boxes. Judy glanced at the clock on her phone, sighing in relief. "Oh, good. We still have a whole hour left."

Nick closed the box of files he'd just completed, before standing on tiptoe to place them on the next empty shelf. "We did all that work in just two hours?" He asked incredulously.

"Well if we had buckled down four hours ago, we could have been finished way before now." She said pointedly, thrumming her foot on the ground in annoyance.

"Heh. Sorry about that." Nick smiled meekly. "But look at the bright side; we only have one box left. Surely that's enough reason for celebration?" He sidled up behind the grumpy rabbit, rubbing her shoulders.

Judy's glare couldn't hold up very long, and slumped to the ground, exhausted. Nick followed, hands still on her shoulders. He leaned his head on her. "You work too hard, Judes. You need a break every once and a while."

Judy ignored him, arms still crossed. She even scrunched up her nose to prove her anger.

Nick's face suddenly lit up evilly. "Y'know, I think I thought of what would put you in a good mood…"

Her curiosity got the best of her, and she cracked open one eye. "Hmm?"

Nick hummed. "Naw… we couldn't do that." He smirked, paws still rubbing circles on her back.

Judy's eyes narrowed. "Wait a second… you're not – are you?"

"I'm not what?"

"You're not seriously thinking about -?" Her eyes widened, and she lurched forward.

Nick's smirk grew even wider, if possible. "Oh, I _am_."

A confident smile stretched across Judy's features, and she leaned forward. "You know, we still have fifty minutes left…" She whispered in her partner's ear.

Nick didn't need to be told twice, and he pulled the smaller bunny down next to him.

 **::**

 _ **"Wilde! Hopps! My office! NOW!"**_ Judy cringed as Bogo roared; shame flooding through her at the memory of the…. _compromising_ position she and Nick had been caught in.

The chief had come into the filing room, looking for the pictures of him that had supposedly been taken from his desk, only to find a flustered pair of cops; horrified expressions donning their faces; half undressed.

Judy shrunk back in the chair that was too large for her. "Sir –" She began weakly.

Bogo rubbed his temples. "What were you two thinking?" He growled. "I could have you both written up and reported for indecency."

Nick's mouth opened to speak, but he was cut off.

"How long?" Bogo lifted his head, meeting the eyes of the small officers. "How long has this been going on?" He looked pained, as if he didn't want to believe what he had just seen.

Judy looked down at her lap in shame. "A little over two months…" Beside her, Nick's eyes widened. This wasn't part of the plan – they weren't supposed to tell him! Judy just looked at him sadly.

Bogo sighed. "I wish I didn't have to say this, but I'll have to open an investigation on you two. Relationships in the workplace are against regulation. You'll not be allowed into the building until it's finished."

Nick furrowed his brow. "T-that's it? No judgement? No lecture about how interspecies relationships are disgusting?"

"It's not my place to judge." The chief said simply. "Even if it was, I could never hate my two best officers. Unfortunately, that's left up to the public…" He glanced at the ZPD catalog on his desk; Nick and Judy's smiling faces staring back at him. "You two are the face of ZPD; didn't you think about the consequences before you started seeing each other?"

"We did think about them." Judy answered quietly. "I just never thought we'd have to face them."

 **::**

That night when Judy turned on her TV, a news headline screamed out at her; _'Zootopia's favorite cops involved in ISR scandal'_

Not long after she received a call from her parents. She answered it hesitantly, fearing what they would say. But nothing could prepare her. On the other end of the line, her mother was crying while her father angrily shouted.

 _"How could you do this to us?"_ He said. _"It's unorthodox; disgusting."_

Judy tried to explain through her tears.

 _"I think it's best if you don't come home for a while."_

 **()**

Later that night, after her clock had chimed midnight, she laid in her bed, staring out her window at the ZPD billboard across the street. On it, she stood proudly; the posterchild of the ZPD. _We work hard to do what's right_ , it read.

She clutched at her pillow as bags formed around her eyes, wondering where she'd strayed from that.

()

The next day, she received three phone calls from Nick.

She ignored them, eyes plastered to the Zootopia news channel. On it was 24/7 coverage of The Scandal. Mammal after mammal was introduced, all ranting about the 'sanctity of marriage.'

" _Interspecies relationships are disgusting. They're not real – how can they be? You can't produce children from that."_

 _"I call for Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde to resign immediately."_

 _"No wonder these two tried to unite Predator and Prey with such determination; they were probably trying to hide their relationship."_

After the second hour, she'd turned it off, tossed her remote to the floor, and screamed into her pillow.

She'd turned it on not even an hour later, too obsessed with her crumbling public image to look away.

After the fourth hour, she began to hate herself.

 **::**

 _Three days later_

"Judes, c'mon; open up!" Nick knocked on her door. His voiced sounded hoarse. "Your landlord was giving me a nasty look, and I think she called security, so I'd _really_ appreciate being let in."

Judy swung her door open, and stared up at him, expression blank. Nick, for his part, looked just as bad, if not worse. His eyes had bags under them; he looked like he hadn't slept in days, and his fur was a wild, tangled mess.

"What are you doing here?" Judy snarled. "Haven't you seen the news? We're disgusting and vile; there's a ninety nine percent chance we just lost our jobs, and my family disowned me."

Nick bowed his head. "I'm sorry-"

"Was it worth it?" Judy cut him off angrily. "Was I worth this mess we're in now?"

Nick met her eyes, looking crushed. "You really think you're not worth that?" He asked sadly. "I'd go through this a thousand times over if it meant we'd be okay in the end."

" _But we won't be!"_ Judy screamed. "We won't – we aren't." Her eyes filled with tears. "Everything that matters to me is gone now because of what we did."

Nick's expression grew even more pained. "What about me? _I_ mattered to you."

Judy didn't respond, and he stepped into her apartment. "You still have one thing to lean back on." He said, gesturing to himself. "No matter what any of those bigots say, I'll never regret what we have." Judy looked up at him, eyes wide and scared. He grabbed her hands, lacing their fingers together.

She stood there for a moment, upper lip trembling, before burying her head into his shoulder. 'What are we going to do?" She asked, sounding like a small child who's just scraped their knee for the first time. "I've already had four different interviewers show up to my apartment today."

Nick sighed, and pulled her closer. "I don't know." He murmured. "We'll just have to deal with this as it comes at us." He murmured, eyes locked on the TV in the corner of the room.

On the screen, a crowd of protesters was gathered at the doors of the ZPD, presumably looking for Nick and Judy.

"I don't know…." He repeated, quieter this time.

 **::**

 **A/N**

 **Sorry for the really sad chapter. (Hides in a corner)**

 **I would have held it off until later, but I felt like now was as good a time as any to introduce the conflict. If you can't tell, I'm making parallels to the issue of gay rights, which is still a hot topic right now. I wanted to pay tribute the how the movie addressed important social issues and continue that with my own story.**

 **(P.S; every chapter aside from the first, (and the title) are named after songs or lyrics from a song. Just a little trivia for you all. See if you can name each song and it's artist in the comments!)**


	4. Lost! (Lost?)

**Better Off As Lovers**

 **Chapter 4: Lost!** _ **(Lost?)**_

 **Nick and Judy must face the reality of rising tensions in Zootopia.**

 **::**

 _Just because I'm losing_

 _Doesn't mean I'm lost_

 _Doesn't mean I'll stop_

 _It doesn't mean I'm across_

 _::_

The cheerful pop-song ringtone of Judy's phone woke Nick; his green eyes blinking open blearily. He groaned, fumbling on the bedside table for the device. A loud clatter tells him it's fallen onto the floor, and the fox slides out of Judy's creaky bed.

Nick had stayed with her for a few days, and they'd huddled close, ignoring the outside world – the _angry_ outside world. The couple hadn't turned on the TV out of fear of seeing the angry faces staring back at them. Interviewers had been knocking on Judy's door for days before finally giving up. Nick picked up the phone from the floor carefully before crawling back towards the warmth of the bunny's sleeping form.

The phone gave another ring, and the fox cringed at the sound, and the brightness of the screen. _Who the hell was calling at 5am?_ He answered it, not wanting to wake Judy. It was a face-time call.

"Judy –" Bogo's gruff voice and tired face greeted him. "Wait, Wilde – what are you doing with Hopp's phone?"

Nick squinted, turning the brightness down before mumbling back, "She's still asleep. And I intend to let her stay that way. She's barely slept all week."

Bogo's face relaxed somewhat, though he still looked embarrassed. "You're… at her house?"

"If you could even call it that; but yeah, I am. We've been hiding out from the swarm of reporters. Don't look so mortified; you didn't interrupt anything. There definitely hasn't been any hanky panky going on." Nick smirked lightly.

Bogo huffed in response. "I'm glad you're helping her through this." He said roughly, in what Nick took as his 'I-care-but-don't-want-you-to-know voice.' "The investigation is finished, by the way. Under normal circumstances… I'd let you lot return to work, but this is a bit different." The chief's brow furrowed. "I'm having the ZPD put you up in a safe house; at least until the mess dies down."

Nick sighed. "You know Judy won't take that lightly. She'd try and sneak out to fight crime or something. She'd dress up as Batman and drag me out with her on some creepy fantasy..." Nick trailed off.

Bogo rubbed his temples. "I know. That's why you'll have guards. Don't worry about it, Wilde. Just start packing when Hopps wakes up. I'll send someone to pick you up – someone who sympathizes with you. Be ready at midnight. The reporters will be gone by then."

Nick forced a confident look on his face, jutting out his chin; hiding the torrent of fear and uncertainty beneath. "Yessir."

()

 _Every river that I tried to cross,_

 _Every door I ever tried was locked_

 _::_

 _You might be a big fish in a little pond_

 _Doesn't mean you've won,_

 _Cause along may come_

 _A bigger one._

 _::_

 _ **And you'll be lost**_

 _::_

 _(Oh, and I'm just waiting 'til the firing's stopped)_

 **()**

" _Judy!_ " A distant voice called out her name. Judy's eyes darted around, assessing her surroundings; hazy and uncertain, and… _moving? No_ , she realized. _I'm falling_. Judy's hands flailed wildly, searching for purchase. She sealed her eyes shut, blocking out the world.

Wet.

There was water.

Judy opened her eyes, looking through the murky water. Bubbles drifted past her, and she followed them up. The ascent seemed endless; the pressure around her seemed to grow. _That's impossible. Water pressure increases with depth_. But still the water pressed around her, feeling like bricks were weighing heavily on her chest. Despite her mouth being firmly shut, her lungs seemed to fill with fluid. She felt like she was drowning.

 _I'm lost_ , she realized. _Where am I?_

Judy thought she saw light; and she reached out towards it blindly like a madman searching for salvation. Just as her head was about to surface, she couldn't take it anymore; and made a feeble attempt for air, her mouth opening desperately; filling with –

"Judy! Wake up. You were crying." A rough shake startled her tired brain to consciousness. It was Nick, staring at her with green eyes; that lately, only seemed to be filled with sadness. "Were you having a nightmare?"

Judy gasped, heaving for air; remembering the contents of her dream. "Yeah." She shook her head wildly, freeing her mind from its sleepy haze. "Yeah, I'm fine now, though."

 _::_

 _Every river that you've tried to cross,_

 _Every gun you ever held went off_

 _(Oh, and I'm just waiting 'til the shine wears off)_

::

"Alright, I'm all packed!" Judy shouted, dragging her suitcase behind her. Nick didn't respond, and she popped her head out of her bathroom. He was sitting her bed, staring at his feet and swaying them idly. "We can go grab your things from your place now, if you want."

Nick looked up, his eyes tired and inscrutable. "No, I think we should wait until Bogo's guy get here. I don't think it would be a good idea to go out alone right now."

Judy blinked. "Oh..." Her shoulders slumped, and her gaze drifted to the billboard outside. "Right."

()

A knock at Judy's door woke them at half past midnight. Judy rushed to her feet, anxious energy guiding her to the door as fast as they could carry her. She opened it wearily, only to see a familiar face.

"Oh, Clawhauser." Her guarded expression fell away. "Hey."

The cheetah met her eyes. He looked different. Or, at least, the way he looked at her was. "Hey Judy." He replied quietly.

"Why don't you come in for a few minutes?" She asked him. "You could have a cup of coffee; you must be tired since it's so late."

Clawhauser shook his head politely, but firmly. "No thanks. I'm just here to get you and Nick to your safe house as fast as I can." He glanced around warily, rocking back and forth on his toes.

Nick's head appeared in the doorway above Judy's. "We'll have to stop at my apartment on the way. I only have a bag of clothes here."

Clawhauser's anxious eyes widened. "Oh – Nick, I –I don't think I'm supposed to –"

Judy rubbed her eyes. "It's the middle of the night. There's no one that could possibly be out there." Nick nodded in agreement.

"Alright…" Clawhauser gave in, opening the door wider to let Nick and Judy out; the small rabbit locked the door firmly behind them with a click the seemed to resonate in the dingy hallway.

::

 _Just because I'm hurting_

 _Doesn't mean I'm hurt_

 _Doesn't mean I didn't get what I deserved, no better and no worse_

 _::_

 _ **I just got lost.**_

 _(Oh, and I'm just waiting 'til the shine wears off)_

::

Clawhauser's police cruiser eased out of the alley behind the apartment building slowly; the cheetah at the wheel peering around the edge of the building before slumping back into his seat. "Oh, good. No one's there."

In the back seat, Judy and Nick shared a questioning glance. Nick shrugged.

The cruiser hummed at it sped up, gliding smoothly on the roads. "I almost forgot what a nice ride these are." Judy commented, a pleased grin on her face, momentarily forgetting why they were in the car.

Clawhauser didn't respond. Instead, "Okay, so Nick, where do you live?" Nick leaned over the passenger seat and directed him to the west end of town. The roads grew smaller and dirtier and more cracked as time slipped by, and a few minutes later, Nick motioned for him to stop the car in front of an old rundown building.

Judy looked at him, eyes wide and filled with pity. "This is where you live?" She murmured. "Why didn't you say anything? I could have helped you save –"

Nick cut her off. "I'm saving up my paychecks for a better place. Let me do this on my own, okay?" Judy didn't respond; she just twitched her whiskers.

Nick fished his keys out of his pocket and made his way into the building. Judy tried to picture what the inside was like. Maybe his room was larger than hers. She hoped it was.

A few minutes later, Nick stumbled down the front steps, a box in his paws. He set it down on the seat, explaining sheepishly, "I don't know how long we'll be gone."

Judy examined his face; a dark bruise was forming under one eye. She gasped. "Did someone hit you?!"

Nick waved it off. "Landlord. He's always hated me; now he just has more reason to." He twiddled his thumbs apprehensively. After a moment, he admitted, "He kicked me out." Nick leaned his head on the window as Clawhauser pulled away, watching the city pass them by.

Judy didn't reply; she knew he didn't want her to. She looked at him for a moment, dark ears drooping, forehead uncharacteristically creased with worry. She sighed and looked out her own window. The city seemed darker than it had last week; and was it just her or were there more boards on buildings; more windows broken?

Judy's face fell when they passed the ZPD office. _Her_ ZPD office. Spraypaint; red and angry, coated the wall, screaming horrible things at her. _Disgrace_ , one shouted angrily. Another was more vulgar, _you're fucking disgusting_ , it read.

She and Nick's faces were drawn onto the walls and crude things were layered over them. Despite the clock in the dashboard reading 1am, reporters still swarmed the steps of the building, and turned to look at the car as it passed.

Clawhauser hissed, trying to speed up, but one reporter – a boar – jumped in front of the car. He slammed on the brakes, and the reporters swarmed the cruiser. Judy's sharp ears heard the secondary locks snap shut; the crowd of reporters had slowed the car to a crawl.

Clawhauser looked back at the pair ruefully. "M'sorry, guys."

Judy ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut against the bright flash of cameras, and folded her ears down. It didn't do much to block out the clamor outside.

::

 _Knock Knock!_

Judy's eyes flew open, darting around the dark room quickly. They hadn't arrived to the safe house until nearly 3am last night – Clawhauser had to call in back up to clear the crowd; the ZPD couldn't have anyone knowing where their 'star' cops were. The public knowing that would have defeated the purpose of a safe house.

Judy hadn't gotten very good sleep last night, she'd rolled around fitfully on the bed all night. She sighed, rubbing her eyes, and gingerly slipped out of the bed – _her_ bed. The apartment given to her and Nick seemed foreign, with too-big furniture and fancy appliances. She read the clock, eyes still struggling to focus. _10:00_

 _So I got… 6… maybe 7 hours of sleep_? Normally, Judy would have gawked; she only ever slept half that time. But she had lost a lot of sleep as of late; she felt like there wasn't any amount of sleep that could free her of the tiredness she was feeling.

Still groggy, she made her way to the door, which was unlocked already. Sighing, she backed up. It was too high to reach. "It's already unlocked!" She shouted, head pounding angrily in response.

Slowly, the door creaked open. A large, grey head peered in, deep-set eyes meeting hers. Bogo. His eyes were questioning, and he stood in the doorway.

Judy nodded in response to his unspoken question. "Yes, I'm fine, and yes, you can come in."

Bogo's shoulders relaxed, and he let himself in. He was holding a stack of paper in his hand. Judy's face brightened hopefully, but he shook his head. "It's not work." He said gruffly. "This is the paper being published this morning." He bent down to hand it to her, and took it from him, setting it on the table beside her.

"I'm sorry about the large décor." Bogo added. "But we had to put you lot up somewhere mammals won't expect." He looked around, eyes searching.

"Nick's on the couch. He passed out as soon as we walked in, and I was too tired to drag him into bed." Judy said. "That bed is really nice." She added. "How much are you paying to put us up here?"

Bogo stiffened. "A decent amount." He answered evasively.

Judy's foot thrummed on the floor angrily. "You-"

Bogo interrupted her. "Firstly, stop thumping your foot before everyone and their mother knows a rabbit is here. Secondly, don't try and argue with me over a price you don't know about."

Judy's foot stopped, but her paws remained on her tiny hips. "I know that the ZPD doesn't have the funding for this; no taxpayer would want to pay for mammals they hate to be living in a nice apartment."

"We do have the funding for this, Hopps. Don't worry, you'll be back to work in a few weeks' time; you know how short the attention span of the media and the public is."

Judy's nose twitched. "I've seen the books, chief. City hall barely gives us the funding for new vest every year, how do you expect to pay for this?"

Bogo sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "It's coming out of my paycheck, alright? City Hall wouldn't give us the money so I let them divert my paycheck."

Judy's eyes widened. "I – I can't take your money from you like that!" She protested.

"Hopps; its fine. The mortgage on my house has been payed off for two years now. I'll be fine." Bogo reassured her. "I just want my money to go to those who deserve it. Believe it or not, Hopps, you do have friendly faces who support you out there still." He said softly, backing out the door.

Judy rushed after him. "Chief! Wait! I –"

Bogo shut the apartment's door behind him. "I'll be back tomorrow." His voice was somewhat muted by the door, but she could still hear his hooves clicking on the floor as he left, leaving her standing alone in the spacious apartment.

 **A/N**

 **Okay, so instead of making you try to guess the songs, I'll just give you guys the name(s) of this chapter's song.**

 **It has two versions. I recommend listening to 'Lost!' first, because it's the regular version of the song, but for listening while reading, I recommend the stripped version, 'Lost?' It's slower, and sadder, and fits the mood of this chapter.**

 **Other songs from the story:**

 **Title: Based on 'Bang The Doldrums' (** _ **Fall Out Boy**_ **)**

 **Chapter Two: Based on 'Don't You (Forget About Me) (** _ **Simple Minds**_ **)**

 **Chapter Three: Based on 'You Matter To Me' (** _ **Sara Bareilles**_ **)**

 **Hopefully this will be one of the last 'sad' chapters. It pains me to write these type of things.**


	5. There's An Albatross Around Your Neck

**Better Off As Lovers**

 **Chapter 5: There's An Albatross Around Your Neck**

 **Nick and Judy struggle with internal conflicts while searching for a way out of their external ones.**

 **::**

 _There's an albatross around your neck_

 _All the things you've said;_

 _And the things you've done_

 _Can you carry it with no regrets?_

 _Can you stand the person you've become?_

 _(Oh, there's a light.)_

 _(Your albatross; shoot it down.)_

::

The door clicked shut behind Chief Bogo, leaving Judy standing alone. Nick wasn't awake yet, and she didn't feel like wandering around the unnervingly large apartment. Judy sighed – she seemed to be doing that a lot lately – and ran a paw over her ears.

Reluctantly, she shuffled back into the room she'd claimed, feet dragging with unseen weight. She idly switched between a few songs on her iPod for a few moments before switching it off; bored and lonely despite Nick's audible snoring only feet away. She considered waking him, but decided against it. Nick hadn't said anything to her last night after he was unceremoniously 'given the boot' from his landlord. He was probably angry with her, and he needed just as much sleep as she did. He was going through this, too.

Judy groaned, rolling onto her stomach and gripping her pillow. _Oh, god._ She thought, _Maybe we should have done a better job of hiding this. Our relationship is still so new; all of this public attention is going to tear us apart._ A small tear rolled down her cheek, and she brushed it away angrily, but to her dismay, more followed.

Her mind drifted back to the paper Bogo had dropped off; her curiosity got the best of her, and she tip-toed through the living room, and stood on her toes, reaching up for the paper on the table where she had left it. She scanned the front page with desperate eyes.

 _Midnight Escape?_ It read.

Judy's eyes jumped down to one of the several pictures donning the page. Several pale pictures – washed out from the bright flashes of the cameras – jumped out at her. She faltered upon seeing a picture of Nick, looking pathetic and sad; eyes squinted against the bright light; the dark bruise under his eye reflecting the bright flash. Hesitantly, Judy dared to look at her own picture. Her eyes were cast downwards in one, looking empty. In another, her hands were pressed to her head; her eyes were clenched shut, and her ears were flat against her skull.

Judy flung the paper at the wall, watching with satisfaction as the papers separated and fluttered to the ground. She slumped to the floor, chest heaving.

The creaking of springs in a cushion startled her. She spun around, meeting Nick's eyes wildly. He was sitting up now, eyes cracked open, looking at her in surprise.

"You okay, Carrots?" He asked, voice raw from sleep.

Judy fumbled for words. "I – yeah – I'm fine." She took Nick in; right eye swollen and discoloured; clothes rumpled from sleep. His form appeared insignificant on the gigantic couch, almost as if it would swallow him whole at any moment. "What about you? Are _you_ fine?"

He shrugged. "I'm fine in the sense that you don't have to worry about me; but other than that, no. And I'm guessing you aren't either."He glanced at the papers sprawled across the floor. "Bring those over here. We should probably read those."

Her nose twitched. "Ah, right." She bent down and collected the scattered papers, trying in vain to organise them. A dry laugh escaped Nick.

"Don't worry about sorting 'em." He smiled faintly, trying to ease the tense atmosphere. "Just bring them over."

Judy crossed the room slowly, and hauled herself onto the couch; Nick offered a paw to help her up. She shoved it away stubbornly and pulled herself up. "I've got it." She huffed, throwing herself down on a pillow two times her size.

Nick just shook his head, and shifted closer to read the papers over her shoulder. "Can I see some of them?" He asked, voice soft in her ears.

"Yeah, yeah." She offered him half of the crumpled stack, and they perused them in comfortable silence.

"Are you mad at me?" Judy asked suddenly, dropping the papers into her lap and turning around to face Nick.

Nick's ears swiveled around, his head jerking up sharply. " _What_?"

Judy hunched over; head in her hands. "Are you mad at me? Because of me, we're both hated by the public; our lives are literally in danger – you were kicked out of your house." Judy sighed, taking a shuddering breath. "Maybe our relationship was too new to handle this."

Nick laid a supportive paw on her shoulder. "I'm not mad." He said. "Not at you, anyway. I'm mad that other animals don't understand us. I mean, yeah, it sucks that I don't have a place to live, but I guess I don't really have to worry about that right now. And –" He was cut short by Judy wrapping him in a hug. His mouth fell open. "Carrots, what are you –"

"I'm giving you a hug." She snapped, tightening her vice grip on the fox. "I'm not the only one having a tough time. You need support, too."

Nick rolled his eyes. "You bunnies are so –" he began, but was cut off.

" _Nick_." Judy growled. "Just let me hug you. Just because you're a guy doesn't mean you can't have feelings." Nick sighed in defeat, and reluctantly accepted the hug. "Don't think I didn't notice that." She remarked sharply. "You can sacrifice your masculinity and accept a goddamn hug."

Nick smiled; and he leaned into the hug gratefully.

If Judy noticed, she didn't say anything.

()

Judy's eyes cracked open and darted around the dark room. She must have been asleep for hours – her head was pounding; her mouth was dry. Groggily, she tried to pull herself up, but was held down by a warm arm.

Memory of heir lazy afternoon trickled slowly into Judy's brain. They'd spent the afternoon draped on the couch, alternating between discussing articles in the paper written about them; laughing together over the preposterous gossip, and watching some medical drama with an unorthodox, grumpy doctor.

"Why do you like this show so much?" Nick had asked, gaze lazily following the actors on-screen. "I mean, I get that the doctor is a handsome fox like me –" Judy rolled her eyes at that. "but he's older. _Plus_ he feeds right into typical stereotypes. He's sleazy and rude." He finished, complaining.

"Actually," Judy began matter-of-factly, "He wasn't always like that. His leg and drug addiction are what make him sleazy." She explained. "I like this show because it points out the sad facts of life."

Nick's brow had furrowed. "Why? You're so optimistic?"

Judy was silent for a moment, eyes busy scanning a hateful article. "Just because I'm optimistic doesn't mean I'm not realistic. Life is messy and more often than not, bleak." She had replied, voice more curt than usual. "But I've found that without optimism, life becomes very dark and depressing _very_ quickly. It's better to put on a smile and greet each day with a positive attitude than to let reality drag you down."

Judy frowned at the memory of that particular topic of conversation. _Optimism has been hard to come by recently_ , she thought grimly. She glanced at Nick, who had a small smile on his face – which was currently resting on her side. Carefully, she reached over to pull the large TV remote towards her, and turned the TV back on. To her delight, the marathon of her medical show was still on, and she leaned back, pulling Nick closer. He shifted in his sleep and slung his other arm around her.

She stayed like that for another hour at least; interrupted only when her phone buzzed on the coffee table. Reluctantly, Judy freed herself from Nick's grip, and hopped down to grab it. It was a text.

Curious, she opened it; the message was from Bogo.

 _Congratulations, the City Manager and Mayor are trying to talk lawyers out of taking your little fling to court. I'll drop off some papers later. Maybe we can find a loophole out of this – I'm not letting the courts take my star officers without a fight._

Judy's eyes widened; she could practically hear Bogo's angry growl through the screen. She reached onto the couch and changed the channel to a News Station. The anchor on-screen was already relaying to the public the details of the impending case.

Apparently, there was a group forming. One who had bought lawyers to declare Nick and Judy's relationship illegal.

 _Oh, fuck_.

"What time is it?" Nick's voice startled her. She turned to face him.

"Um, two thirty, I think."

He yawned, showing off his pearly white teeth. "Wow. We've been lazy today-" He eyes fell on the screen, and he jolted upright on the couch. "W-what's that?" He asked quietly.

Judy slowly turned back to the screen. "That," She drawled, "is the legal system trying to screw us over."

::

Bogo dropped by later that day, but it was only to drop a large stack of papers at Judy's feet, and to give her and Nick a disapproving look. "Now you know the extent of the mess you've gotten yourself into." He had grumbled.

"Yeah, I get it, I messed up." Judy had snapped back, and dragged the papers farther into the apartment.

::

"I don't get it." Nick said, shoving several papers away. "Why would Bogo drop off a word-for-word copy of the _constitution_?"

Judy groaned from her spot across from him; they were sitting on top of the table, the stack spread out between them. "I don't know, but he obviously thought something might be in here." Her forehead creased with frustration as she flipped through the many pages. They'd been tirelessly looking through page after page of information for nearly two hours, and her eyes were getting tired.

Suddenly, she stopped on one page in particular, her eyes darting across the page hastily. She leaned forward, bringing it closer as if it would make the words clearer. Nick stopped, looking up at her; intrigued. Just as he opened his mouth, she blurted out, " _Nick, look at this_!"

The fox practically fell over in his haste to crawl across the table; papers flying everywhere. He knelt down next to Judy, who was eagerly pointing to a sub clause. "It's a clause regarding _marriage_." She whispered to him. "It doesn't say anything specific about who can get married; it just gives the different areas power over how long mammals have to wait, how to get divorced; you know, the generic stuff." For the first time in days, her eyes weren't glassy with hopelessness; her arms waved animatedly. "Nick, do you know what this means? Us being together is _perfectly legal_. Those lawyers don't have a case!"

Nick's face remained blank. "But that doesn't solve the social side of things." He rebutted. "Mammals dislike it because we can't have children. They think our union would be counterproductive to society."

Judy folded her arms. "Right now I'm more worried about covering our asses than gaining backing on this, Nick. It's our right to be together, and I'm going to uphold that." She said. "But it's _not_ our right to make other mammals agree with us. There are going to be major cons no matter what situation we end up in."

Nick's eyes were locked on the floor. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that." He admitted, and Judy's face flooded with relief. "About what I said– I change my mind I'm sure if we tried hard enough –" Judy cut him off with a harsh glare, and his face split into a wolfish grin.

"Seriously?" She raised her eyebrows. "You're asking me for sex? _Now_? Of all possible times?" She rolled her eyes and hopped down from the table, landing with a soft thud. "Just call Bogo and tell him what we found, you loser!" Judy walked off into the kitchen in search of food.

Nick laughed, picking up the paper Judy had shown him. He read it a few times, just to make sure what Judy had said was _really_ true. He couldn't believe it. Nick slid off the table and grabbed his phone from the couch.

He dialed it slowly, as if rushing things might ruin everything. He paced around the room while the phone rang once, twice, thrice – biting his nails – before it picked up.

"Wilde." Bogo greeted him roughly. "What have you got?"

Nick grinned. "Good news, actually. Judes found something."

Bogo didn't respond at first, and when he did, he sounded surprised. "She – I – what – she did? What is it?" He sputtered.

Nick glanced across the apartment at Judy, who was hoisting herself onto an over-sized countertop to browse through the pantry. "We'll tell you tomorrow. Is it okay if we meet you at the station?"

"I don't think that's the best idea-" Bogo began.

"Great. Meet you at eleven." Nick said, hanging up.

"Hey, Jude!" He called. Judy looked up, shame flooding her face. She was elbow-deep in a bag of chips, crumbs littering her face and tangled in her whiskers. Nick stifled a snort of laugher. "Make sure to actually get a shower tomorrow. We're going into the station."

::

 **A/N**

 **Hmmm, I wonder who can catch the references this time. I don't explicitly mention them by name. (Kudos to the person who found the Parks and Rec and Supernatural references, by the way.)**

 **Things are about to get happier for you, as readers; but a lot more complicated for me to write as an author. It may take a week or so for me to work things out and put out a new chapter, so I hope you understand.**


End file.
